Where did the idea for Zebra!come from?
Well, I was in New York in January 2009 after some of the big
crashes of the global financial crisis, and the feeling in the city
around that period was very real, and very potent. People had lost
their jobs, their life savings and the faith they had in the
American economy - it was a period of real fear. In a New York bar
I had a conversation with two guys, Men that had spent their entire
lives working with the full expectation that they were getting
close to being able to enjoy their retirement. Now the goal posts
had changed. One of them said: "We thought we were playing the game
right, by the rules and now some bastard's come along and said:
'Nope, sorry, you might have made it to the last quarter but you've
got nothing on the board. It's zero-zero and guess what? The game
is about to start again!"
Every writer yearns for conversations like this - that really
capture a shared moment, and it sparked my interest in the personal
fallout post-GFC as well as the societal and global
repercussions.
With three characters, and an inherently naturalistic
setting, Zebra!seems a departure from your previous play
Concussion - was that deliberate
choice?
The landscape of Zebra!was really important to me -
setting it in one room, one bar with a literally global cataclysmic
event was designed as a challenge and a way of approaching the
issues from a different starting point. There was a version of the
script, earlier on, that had more than three characters but Andrew
(Upton) really encouraged me to find the drama in the three key
characters, who are almost trapped in this bar. It was also the
perfect setting for the clash of cultures that I was creating. The
U.S experience is so insular (especially prior to 9/11) so having
Jimmy's Australianism shape his experience of the GFC was
important.
When I first travelled to NYC I felt really at home there as an
Australian. New York is not an American city, it feels like a
global city, a recognisable landscape and an obvious landing
ground. Out of the amazing grid pattern of New York fell this
monumental economic chaos. The city where people go to reinvent
themselves now had some reinventing of it's own.
How has the process of developing the script
been?
Developing a new work, knowing that it's going into production
really raises the stakes and everyone involved in the development
is as invested in it as you, from the cast to Polly (STC's Literary
Manager) to the production team. When you are just doing a
development, the theatre company can often feel at arm's length to
the writer, as they are busy actually producing plays. This time
the investment and risks feels jointly shared. All the comments and
script notes are made with the production in mind - so the
development feels very real and concrete.
It's rare for a new work to attract such a high calibre
cast. Does having Bryan Brown and Colin Friels in the play increase
the pressure?
In many ways yes, of course! Suddenly two actors who I've literally
been admiring for years are working on my play. It's such a
privilege to have their input into the script - these are two
actors who are committed to telling Australian stories and have
built careers around telling Australian stories. They are actors
that make statements about supporting Australian work simply by the
work they choose to do. My meetings with both of them have been
inspirational, they're jaw-dropping experts in stories and their
suggestions have really enhanced the play.
Your play has been described a look at our post-GFC world
and how it has affected our self-image. What does the play offer us
in Australia?
Since World War Two Americans have seem themselves as exceptional,
as bullet-proof and above everyone else. The GFC has ripped that
narrative from under them and they are reeling in the aftermath of
that.
The mood in New York while I was there was one of betrayal, which
is something these characters feel acutely. They trusted the
system, invested in the system and then it turned around and bit
them in the arse. From an Australian point of view the structures
our Federal Government had in place protected us a little. But more
and more we had been adopting the American culture of consumption
and free markets with an attitude of 'well they're doing it, why
not us too?' Now that America's philosophy has crumbled are we
going to change? Are we going to find our own way as
Australians?
Zebra!, Wharf 1 Theatre, 5 March - 30 April, 2012.
Feature: Ross Mueller
Date posted: 3 Feb 2011Author: STC